Komoot and Cycling Navigation: After One Route, I Have More Questions Than Praise

Komoot was supposed to make my cycling trip easier. I found a route on my computer, saved it, added nearby geocaches and set off. Sounds good, right? The problem is that several times along the way I had no idea where I was actually supposed to go, the app led me through places that had very little to do with a rideable route, and in the end it shortened my trip without asking. This is not a full review of Komoot. It is an account of my first experience after one ride and a list of things I need to investigate more carefully before using it again.

This is particularly worth reading if you are considering Komoot as your main cycling navigation app and, like me, prefer looking at the map rather than listening to voice instructions. I am not claiming to have explored every feature, setting and preference. Some of these problems may well be solvable through configuration. My first impression, however, remains that the app was supposed to guide me, yet at times demanded more attention than the road itself.

Why did I choose Komoot for planning a cycling route in the first place?

What interested me most about Komoot was its ability to find and plan routes. I was not looking for yet another app that merely showed my position on a map. I wanted to find a ready-made idea for a ride, adapt it to my needs and then use my phone as navigation while cycling.

On the computer, things started quite well. I found an existing cycling route and saved it to my account. I then added nearby geocaches to the route using my own tool. That detail matters, because although the final version of the ride had been modified by me, the problematic and impassable sections were already present in the original route I had found in Komoot.

Searching for a route and preparing the trip was convenient. The map on a large screen made it easy to inspect the course, judge the distance and decide whether the ride looked sensible. At this stage, the app made a good impression. Everything looked lovely on the slide, but the first turn out in the real world quickly tested how much of that impression would survive.

Does Komoot work well for planning routes on a computer?

In my case, this was the part that worked best. Planning a longer ride on a monitor is easier than on a phone screen, particularly when you want to inspect the surrounding area, find additional points and understand the overall shape of the trip. The ready-made route was clear, I could save it and prepare it for later use.

I did not thoroughly test every option such as the elevation profile, surface types, offline maps, GPX export or Garmin synchronisation. I am therefore not going to pretend I know how well Komoot handles every one of those areas. I had only used it briefly and my main concern was whether it could reliably guide me along a saved route.

What I did miss during planning was a clear warning that certain sections could be difficult or genuinely impassable. I had selected the standard cycling profile, not MTB, hiking or an off-road mode designed to go through anything that vaguely resembles a line on a map. I therefore expected a route suitable for an ordinary bicycle ride.

What was unclear about Komoot navigation?

The biggest problem appeared where several parts of the route crossed each other or used the same roads. On the phone screen I could see the route, but I could not confidently tell which section was currently active or which direction I should take. The map showed me the route, but did not answer the most important question clearly enough: “where do I go now?”

In that situation, I would have liked the active section to be highlighted clearly in a different colour. The rest of the route could remain visible, but the current section should immediately stand out. Without that, the crossing lines looked a bit like spaghetti scattered across a plate. You know it is all part of the same meal, but try finding the correct end of the strand quickly.

I do not use voice navigation because I simply do not like it and keep it switched off. That makes the clarity of the display particularly important to me. An app cannot assume that every user will always listen to spoken instructions. Visual navigation should make sense on its own, especially on a bike where you do not have time to analyse the map for ages at every junction.

Why did I go the wrong way several times?

This was not one isolated moment of hesitation. Several times I set off in the direction I thought the app was indicating, only to discover shortly afterwards that I was travelling the wrong way. That quickly undermines trust in a navigation tool. After the first mistake you start checking the map more often. After the next one, you stop believing you can simply watch the road and enjoy the ride.

Perhaps an experienced Komoot user would immediately know how to interpret the display or which setting to change. I did not. That is precisely why I describe this as a first experience rather than proof that the app always works badly. A good cycling app should, however, guide someone clearly even if they have not spent the previous evening watching tutorials.

Google Maps, Mapy.cz, Mapy.com, Locus and other mapping apps all have their own weaknesses, but the basic expectation is similar: the current direction should be unambiguous. I do not want to hold a committee meeting with myself every time parts of the route intersect and guess which line applies right now.

Can a ready-made Komoot route lead through impassable places?

During this ride, Komoot led me into dead-end roads and through places so overgrown that normal cycling was impossible. I am not talking about a slightly uncomfortable section, rougher tarmac or gravel. It was bad enough that instead of wondering whether I could keep riding, I had to consider whether I could even push the bike through.

Importantly, these sections were already part of the original route I found in Komoot. They did not appear only after I added geocaching-related points. I therefore cannot blame all of it on my own modifications, the algorithm in my tool or poor rerouting between caches.

I also did not notice any warning that a particular passage might be unavailable or exceptionally difficult. The map may of course have been using OSM or OpenStreetMap data, which do not always perfectly reflect the current condition of every road. That is a fair counterargument. A trail can become overgrown, a landowner can close access, and mapping data can become outdated. From the user’s point of view, however, the result is simple: a ready-made cycling route took me somewhere I could not actually ride.

Did choosing the standard cycling profile matter?

When planning, I selected ordinary cycling. It was not the MTB profile, hiking or a road-bike mode designed solely around perfect tarmac. I therefore expected a route that could be ridden on a normal bicycle, even if the surface was not perfect everywhere.

I do not rule out the possibility that there are additional routing preferences in the settings that I did not inspect. Perhaps you can specify the desired road type more precisely, avoid difficult sections or choose a preferred surface. I intend to check this before my next trip.

At the same time, a ready-made route shared in the app should at least give some indication of what conditions to expect. If part of the route resembles an overgrown hiking trail more than a road suitable for a bicycle, it would be useful to see a clear warning. The user could then decide whether to take the risk, edit the route or plan it differently.

Why did Komoot shorten my route without asking?

The most surprising thing happened after I went the wrong way. I carried on, but after a while I noticed that the remaining route was shorter than before. What had been a planned ride of roughly 30 kilometres had become about 20 kilometres.

The app had apparently recalculated the rest of the route and cut out part of the trip. I did not see a question asking whether I wanted to return to the original track, continue according to plan or accept a shorter version. Komoot simply decided for me. There may be a setting responsible for this behaviour, but during the ride it was not communicated clearly.

For me, that is a more serious problem than an imperfect map. When I plan a route of a certain length, I want to retain control over it. A detour is normal. Making a wrong turn can happen too. The navigation should help me return to the planned route or at least ask what I want to do. Automatically shortening the trip sounds helpful, but in practice it feels like a waiter taking away half your dinner because you put your fork down for a moment.

Was Komoot the problem, or were my settings?

After one ride, I cannot answer that honestly. Some of the problems may have resulted from configuration, unfamiliarity with the interface or features I have not discovered yet.

I also do not know whether the route would behave differently after importing a GPX file, using a Garmin device, synchronising with Strava or starting navigation in a different way. I have no basis for claiming that Komoot always recalculates routes badly, cannot navigate paths or shortens everyone’s trips.

What I do know is what happened in my particular case. The app did not give me confidence where route sections crossed, I went the wrong way several times, a ready-made route included places without a sensible passage, and later the route became shorter without my confirmation. Those are observations, not theory.

Is Komoot better than Mapy.cz or Google Maps?

After one route, I am not going to declare whether Komoot is better than Mapy.cz, Google Maps or apps such as Locus. Each of these tools can serve slightly different purposes. One may be better in a city, another on hiking trails and another for planning long walking or cycling routes.

Komoot has one clear advantage for me: it made it convenient to find a ready-made idea for a ride and work with it on a computer. Ordinary map apps do not always provide the same comfort in that respect. I would simply like the later navigation on the phone to feel as well thought out as the planning stage.

I am also not interested in an app war where cycling forums split into camps and everyone defends their favourite application like a family pierogi recipe. A tool needs to suit the way a particular person rides. What I need above all is a clearly visible active section, control over route changes and sensible warnings about possible access problems.

What would Komoot need to improve before I trust it?

The first thing is a clear visual distinction for the active section. When several parts cross at the same place, the current route should use a different colour, stronger highlighting or an unmistakable direction arrow. Green dots, thin lines or other markings do not help much if you still have to guess while riding.

The second issue is rerouting. When I leave the route, the app should give me a choice: return to the original track, create a detour to the next point or shorten the trip. That decision should not happen silently. I am giving Komoot the role of navigation, not appointing it as the trip manager who changes the day’s plan without consultation.

The third thing is better information about risky sections. If the surface is uncertain, a road may be closed or a section relies on weak mapping data, I want to see that beforehand. I do not expect infallibility. I expect enough information to make my own decision.

Will I give Komoot another chance?

Yes. After the first ride I stopped fighting with the settings and simply followed what remained of the route. At the same time, I immediately decided that before another attempt I would look more carefully at Komoot’s configuration. I want to see whether I can change the rerouting behaviour, route display and what happens after going off course.

The second ride will be a more deliberate test. I will check the settings, inspect the route more carefully, pay attention to surface information and probably prepare a simpler route without so many crossing sections. Only then will I be able to judge whether the first ride was an unfortunate combination of problems or a feature of the way the navigation works.

For now, my position is simple: planning on the computer was pleasant, but Komoot quickly lost my trust during the actual ride. I am not writing it off, but I am also not ready to base another trip on it without checking the settings carefully. An app should help me discover new places, not add another puzzle at every junction.